Our house has seen dramatic change in the past year, with one dominant personality leaving us last November with Reardon’s passing, and then we lost Journey in March, after a valiant battle with cancer that was diagnosed in January. For some weeks it was clear she wanted very much to stay with us, but in the last days, she was not eating and multiple times collapsed in front of me. The disintegration of an animal with so much vitality and intelligence was deeply painful to watch. She is the best obedience trial dog I’ve ever had, and I’m grateful for every moment we had together. She is my first UDX dog and nearly made it to an OTCH with 71 points out of the necessary 100, with many High in Trials and High Combined awards. In these months afterward, I can still feel a gut punch realizing that this amazing presence is truly gone.
And so we have become a three-pack: Rozzie, Robbie and Gael. Rozzie, at 12.5, has had a blossoming with the more dominating dogs gone (especially Reardon), and loves playing scentwork games in the training building. Robbie is working on his CDX (with 2 legs completed before the COVID-19 shutdown), and Gael…well, Gael loves running in her pasture. It has been peaceful and just a little sad, especially with all the turmoil in the world today. It has been a useful time for me to reflect on my life in dogs, and consider where I will focus my energies next, as retirement from my “real” job approaches. Journey took me on a such a wondrous journey of partnership and attainment; what journeys await me and with who?
The Spaniel Annals 
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